


Prairie Rose

by madammina



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Gen, Hopi, Junk Tag, Mentions of Death, No season 2 spoilers, Old West, Original Akuma, Original Hero - Freeform, Post Season 1, Still a junk tag, Tags Contain Spoilers, ghost story, original kwami, this is so you don't see something accidentally
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-15
Updated: 2017-12-15
Packaged: 2019-02-07 21:20:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 12,721
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12849744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madammina/pseuds/madammina
Summary: Good News!  There is going to be a new Western movie!Better News!  It's about an old Hero!Best News!  Nino won a contest to let his whole class watch them film the movie!Bad news:  The set is emptyWorse News: The set may be hauntedWorst News: An Akuma has attacked.With Marinette and Adrien under the Akuma's spell and no one able to rescue them, how will they get out of this?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Four Months ago, I signed up for the Miraculous Big Bang. It has taken a lot of time and energy but this is the result. I am very proud of it, and I hope you enjoy it too. 
> 
> This fic is inspired by Phantom Manor and my own research into the old west for a previous NaNoWriMo project. (Sidenote: Cattle wrangling is MUCH more interesting than you would think)
> 
> I could not have done this at all without Ash_Boss, dontcallmebugaboo (Who betad AND did art. So give them love!), etc, FreedomShamrock (who published a fic of her own last week! http://archiveofourown.org/collections/miraculousbang2k17/works/12845487 I have yet to read it, but I have heard good things!), LaLunaUnita (who has been ALL OVER this whole experience for so many people. AND is helping me do a podfic version of this fic!) and RangerSargey.
> 
> I could not have done it without them.
> 
> And like I said before, a podfic version of this fic is incoming. 
> 
> Thank you for your time and I am so glad to finally share this with the world!

“I see you couldn’t sleep.” Chat Noir landed gently on the Arc de Triomphe. Ladybug sat next to him and looked out at the stars. 

“The Akuma today wound me up,” she admitted. “Giant ants and all that.”

“Why, my bugaboo, are you scared of your own kind?” he asked in mock horror. He was crouched beside her, his hand over his heart. She glared at him in return, and he chuckled to let off the heat. “I know some cats eat spiders, but I agree. They were a bit large even for me.” 

The two were silent for a minute. Then, “Do you think there is anyone else out there?” Ladybug asked quietly. “There have to be other Kwami, right? We aren’t supposed to handle the world by ourselves?” 

Chat Noir sat down next to her and put his arm around her shoulders. She didn’t flinch.

“Yes. I’m sure there are others out there,” he said after a moment. “I know Volpina isn’t… a great memory, but she had to have based herself on something. She knew about the Miraculouses. And there are stories from all over about people who did great things. They have to be based on something…” He trailed off. “Are you thinking about that ghost town they found?”

“A bit,” Ladybug replied. “But that hero didn’t seem to have any special powers.” 

“I’m not sure what it means to be a powerless hero," Ladybug admitted. “I mean, there is only so much that we can do with powers. And I know about firefighters and policemen and even bakers and so many other people. They are all heroes, but none of them are superheroes. Do you need power likes ours to be a superhero? Or is it just a frame of mind? If we had these powers but didn’t fight against the Akuma, would we still count?”

"I don't know," Chat Noir answered. "I mean, like you said, there is only so much that we can do. But I think that maybe that guy did have powers."

"I wish we knew more about them," Ladybug said with a sigh. "I wish we just knew more in general. We don't know. We don't even really know where our own Kwamis and powers came from."

Well, she did. But she wasn't going to admit it to Chat Noir until she knew more than just, “This guy snuck a trinket into my room.” She was still trying to understand it in general. All she knew was that Master Fu knew much more than he had been letting on before. 

"I am sure we can figure it out," Chat Noir said as he looked out over the still city of Paris. "I mean, with Hawk Moth and us around, if there are other heroes, they have to show up sooner or later."

"Yeah." Ladybug stifled a yawn. "Do you like being Chat Noir?" she asked suddenly.

"Well that's a personal question," Chat Noir admitted. "But anything for you, milady.” He smirked, but after a moment he let his smile fall. “I..." He looked down at his gloved black hand. "I have mixed feelings about it, really. I like being outside in Paris, saving the city, getting the praise of adoring fans, but,” he paused, “my gift is to destroy something. I can’t create things to save the day, just get rid of whatever is in the way.” 

"It's saved our lives a lot," Ladybug said. "Like when we couldn’t find Simon Says’ cards or when we were facing the Pharaoh." 

"I know," he said softly. "But there is a difference between being a stick of dynamite or a master artisan.” 

"I understand." Ladybug said. "I mean, I know that cleansing the Akuma is good. But what if I get something someday and I can’t figure it out in time? Or I do figure it out, but it leads to more problems. It’s a good thing yours is cut and dry. Mine can be so… obtuse.” 

"That's fair," Chat Noir admitted. "But I still feel like there is so much more to learn and we aren't going to get it anytime soon."

"Yeah." Ladybug sighed. "I wish our Kwami could tell us more sometimes. But—" She glanced at a nearby window display, something to look away from Chat Noir right now. "Mine is all 'You will find out when you need to.’"

Chat Noir snorted. "Mine is so stubborn. He just wants to eat, and he sometimes outright refuses to let me know what I need to." 

"Yeah, I know that feeling," Ladybug agreed. "I mean, it wouldn't hurt for them to talk to us on our downtime, would it?" 

"I don't know," Chat Noir mused quietly. "What if they know things so horrible, they would have to kill us if they told us... no, wait, that doesn't work out." 

"Yeah. Well, maybe next time," Ladybug agreed. As they sat in the silence, a bell rang out over the city of Paris.

"Oh, it's midnight!" Ladybug stood up and looked out over the city. "We should really get back if Hawk Moth isn't going to make a move. I need my sleep for tomorrow."

"Same here," Chat Noir agreed. "May I escort you back to your house?"

"No thank you,” Ladybug said with a grin. "As a matter of fact, I think you are just trying to find out what my secret identity is. Is that what you’re doing?"

"Nooo...." Chat Noir jokingly tried to defend himself and made a mock defensive posture. "Though now that you mention it....” He smirked. “You could always walk me home to my house, milady. I am paw-sitive I could show you some great sights on the way."

"Yeah,” Ladybug said, “I need to get to bed instead." She pulled out her yo-yo. "But I'll see you again. Off-duty.” She smiled at him. “It was nice to talk like this."

"I agree," Chat Noir said as he pulled out his own means of transportation. "Maybe tomorrow?"

"Nope.” Ladybug shook her head. “Can't be seen for a few days. What if Hawk Moth could track us down? " Ladybug said in semi-seriousness. Then she grinned, tossed out her yo-yo, and flew away into the night. 

Chat Noir watched her go with a smile. Maybe someday he would find out who she was, but until then he was more than satisfied with their trust and companionship.


	2. Chapter 2

Marinette sprinted into class the next morning. This time she wasn't late because of an Akuma attack; no, this time she was late because of an accident involving—

"A black cat! Alya, can you believe it? I wonder if Chat Noir can control cats."

"And he's using his powers of cat control to... make you late for school?" Alya looked up from her phone and over at Marinette. "Are you okay?"

"Fine, just annoyed," Marinette grumbled as she pulled out her homework. She wasn't that late—it was still about twenty minutes until class would start—but she felt like she was. The rest of the class was already here, and she liked checking in with everyone before the day started. Except for Chloé. 

The class chatted as they prepared. Kim made bets, Chloé primped, Rose and Juleka were discussing some movie they had seen over the last weekend (maybe a goth comedy? Marinette couldn't hear all of the details from where she was.) Alix and a few others were discussing the most recent sports race and the upcoming Tour De France. 

Wait, where was Nino?

"HEY GUYS!" Nino slid into the classroom. "Guess what just happened to me?!" 

"Did you get a new outfit?" Chloé called out, then laughed. Marinette glowered at her. 

"Nope." Nino sauntered over to his seat. "My favorite director is in town!" he said cheerfully. 

"Okay? That's great, Nino!" Alya said, immediately pulling up a web search for what director he may be talking about. "So, that is good news but...what? Is he doing open casting calls, or—"

"It's even better than that." Nino sat down in his seat, then he decided to stand up and moved to sit on his desk. "He ran a contest to see if anyone wanted to visit him on set. Or, rather, if there were any high school fans who would like to take a trip with their entire class to see him on set."

"Oh, that sounds lovely," Rose said from the back. "What movie is he doing?"

"He's doing one about that old west town they just found. The one with the superhero." Nino pulled out a few sheets of paper from his bag. "The one they think may be haunted."

"Nice" Juleka said softly from her post in the back. 

"Anyway," Nino said. He held up the papers in his hands. "I WON THE CONTEST!" 

"You did?!" Adrien said, then leaned on the desk to hug Nino from behind. "That's awesome dude! What kind of tour are you getting? Will you get to see them film any of it? What about the special effects? Did you show him that movie you shot with Horrificator?"

"My man, you don't get it." Nino looked at Adrien. "The entire class is coming. You too! We all get to see what they do during filming, and they don't do a lot of effects there. I mean, I've tried to replicate Ladybug and Chat Noir in real life for my movies. It... doesn't go well." He frowned. "Losing track. Anyway. With this, we can all go see how they film a real Hollywood blockbuster!" Adrien smiled, and Marinette did with him. This would be so cool to see.

"I can't wait," Alya said. Marinette slowly deflated as something struck her. 

"Wait, does that mean we have to go with Chloé?" Marinette asked, frowning.

"Probably, but Marinette. They found that town in Arizona," Alya said as she went back to her research. "Let's see. Abandoned cattle town. History of superheroes, nice. And what else...hm..." She continued to look. "Ooh! Marinette! Period costumes! A few props from the town! Oh, this is going to be so cool."

"You...you really like the Wild West, don't you?" Marinette giggled. But she couldn't blame her. The stories about the cowboys fighting for justice and traveling across the country, whether that could turn against you at any moment. It was all very exciting. Marinette had just seen one of the new westerns a few days ago. As more information came out about the old west, the genre needed a bit of TLC. But...

"Hey, Alya." Marinette looked over. "What is the story they’re telling about the town?"

Alya looked at the news. "Hmmm. A long time ago, the town was guarded by a rotating series of heroes, all known as the Buffalo, as he or she, defended the town from a group of cow and ranch wranglers," Alya read aloud. "The movie will probably be about the Buffalo, but they are keeping a lot of it under wraps for now. You know how all those Hollywood types are."

"Yeah." Marinette sighed. "Do you think they will ever make a story about Ladybug and Chat Noir?" 

"I'm sure of it,” Alya said with a smile. “Maybe like a century later. Unless the new Chat Noir and Ladybug have issues." Alya frowned as she looked at the term "rotating." "Why did they rotate? Are Ladybug and Chat Noir mortal?"

"I—I thought we thought they were immortal after we found Ladybug in the Egyptian exhibit," Marinette stuttered, glancing nervously at Alya.

"Yeah..." Alya murmured as she continued to look at the word. "But what is with this Buffalo? Why did Buffalo rotate? Why would he do anything? Is this town important or was he or she waiting for something? What about them made it apparent the Buffalo was more than one person? Did they have any powers?"

"I don't know," Marinette admitted, promising herself she would talk to Tikki that night. Before they did the trip to the set, whenever that was. But boy would that trip be a lot of fun.


	3. Chapter 3

The next Saturday, Marinette stepped off the bus and onto the movie set outside of Paris. She could see the other members of her class gathered ahead of her, but she stayed by the entrance a moment to appreciate the scene. 

The town did look like it had been moved the whole hog from the state they had found it. There were a variety of buildings that lined a dirt street. Most were made of wood or clay, and they all had signs displaying what they were. The saloon was obvious, as was the jail, but there was also a hotel, a general store, and a holding pen.

“Marinette!” Alya yelled. Marinette grinned and ran down the dusty street. “Isn’t this great?”

“I know,” Marinette said with a smile. “I’ve never been to a movie set before.” She glanced at her purse where Tikki rested. Tikki had made a speech about “What if Ladybug is needed,” but Marinette knew Tikki wanted to see the set too. 

“Hey, Marinette. Hi, Alya.” Adrien slipped in next to them. “Have you seen Nino?”

“I think he’s with the director now,” Alya said as she glanced at her phone. “Why don’t I get a picture of you and Marinette, Adrien?”

“I—what? Here?” Marinette stuttered. Alya smirked.

“That’s a great idea!” Adrien said. “Please, Marinette. I haven’t been this far outside Paris before. I want to remember it.”

“Uh, sure.” Marinette moved next to Adrien and tried to smile brightly despite her nerves. Then Adrien draped an arm over her shoulder, and Marinette no longer had to try to smile at all. Alya’s camera clicked, and a door to their right opened with a creak.

“Ah, there you all are.” The director came out, Nino trailing behind him. Nino smiled and waved at Adrien when he saw him. “My name is Sebastien Durand.” The man gave a little bow. He was of middling height, but very thin. Almost malnourished. His brown hair was starting to bald, and his eyes were green. He was dressed in jeans and a plaid shirt. Underneath his arm, he carried what looked like the script. “I am the director of this film.”

“His specialty is Westerns,” Nino whispered as he moved to where Adrien, Alya, and Marinette were. “All kinds. Space Westerns, Weird Westerns, straight up westerns. And when he’s not filming or writing, he’s researching. He helped discover the town of the Buffalo.”

“The rumors of a superhero in the old west were, well, thought to be tall tales such as the American stories of John Henry and Paul Bunyan,” Sebastien said as he paced in front of them. “But with the recent heroics of Ladybug and Chat Noir, I had to go back and look at those stories again.” 

Marinette tried to hide her blush. Her being Ladybug may affect people’s knowledge of history?

“Do you want the full tale?” the director asked with a grin.

“Yes!” Juleka and Rose shouted simultaneously. Everyone looked at them.

“I want to hear all about their lives back then and the people they saved and did they fall in love and did they have any pets and—” Rose rambled, obviously caught up in the life of the long-dead hero.

“It’s the Old West.” Juleka shrugged. “Things could get dark.” 

The director began to chuckle. “Well, we are recreating the city to as close as it was found. We brought over as much as we could, too.” He gestured around at the city. “Buildings, clothes, weapons—if we received permission to move it, we did.” He gave a nod to a barn just outside of town. “Do you want to go see the props?” He started to walk towards the barn, and the class - including Marinette - followed. 

Marinette walked into the reconstructed barn where the director held all of his props and other items. Dresses, cowboy clothes, and every other Western-style costumes were organized on one wall. There was a separate set of clothes for “the Buffalo” lead, both the superhero outfit and their normal clothes. Behind Marinette chaos reigned as everyone flocked to their favorite bits of these stories. Adrien picked up an old civil war sword. Nino found an old camera. Kim and Alix found the prop guns and were trying to have a shooting contest with the blanks—the guns were thankfully unloaded—and Rose and Juleka were busy looking for the “ghost.” 

 

“Hey, Chloé,” Adrien said as he practiced his fencing forms with the sword. “Did you try any of those dresses on yet?”

“I was just about to go look. Maybe there’s a wedding dress!” She gasped. “The Buffalo was married after all—”

“No, he wasn’t.” The director strolled into the room. “While we admittedly only know this story about the Buffalo’s life, there are a lot of local legends that were written down in other towns before Talon’s Ford’s destruction.” He pulled out a pair of gloves. “This is one of the few things I managed to save from the archeologists. Clothing does not last long; it is thought that the dry air in the desert may have helped preserve it.” 

As he spoke, a tin milk barrel fell from the top of a dresser about fifty feet away from where they were. 

“Hello?” Rose called out. “Mr. Ghost?” 

“There isn’t a ghost,” the director said hurriedly. “Come on, who wants to see the makeup?” 

Everyone cheered, but Marinette felt off. Something about this felt…familiar. 

 

The group left the barn, Adrien and Nino falling into step beside Alya and Marinette. As they continued to the makeup trailer, Chloé suddenly stopped.

“Wait a minute,” she said. “Where are the actors? And the other crew members? I need to see the lead in their costume!”

Marinette frowned. As much as she hated to admit it, Chloé had a point. They should have run into somebody else by now. 

“They…are taking a break right now.” Mr. Durand said quickly. “We had a late shoot last night so they are all sleeping in. I’m sure they will be here…soon.” A floorboard somewhere creaked. “So, makeup?”

Some still cheered, but Marinette fell back a bit. 

“Yeah, this is sketchy,” Alya muttered, noticing Marinette’s hesitance. “I think the Ladyblog viewers would love a sneak peek into the predecessors for Ladybug, right?”

“Count me in,” Adrien agreed. “Besides, I’ve seen enough makeup trailers in the last week to last me a lifetime. That stupid clown photoshoot...” He trailed off with a shudder. Both Alya and Marinette blinked. “But, seriously. There are no other cars there but those for us. There should be makeup and gophers here by now, even if the actors are late.” 

The other three of them gave a nod. Time to look around.


	4. Chapter 4

Alya, Marinette, and Adrien snuck into the first actor’s trailer that they could find. It belonged to the actor of a minor character, but Alya knew who it was at least. While Marinette and Adrien began to look at the paper left on the table, Alya took a selfie with a photo of the man. Food was still there on the table too, but cold. Makeup was dried out on another table nearby. A book was left open and the bathroom in the corner was trashed. Marinette had the feeling that whoever it was left quickly. She glanced at the table and saw that the sugar bowl was jostled.

“That’s… odd.” Marinette lifted up the sugar bowl by a cup of cold coffee and opened it. She took a sniff then winced. “This is salt, not sugar.” She frowned. “This isn’t right. If you put salt in your coffee it’s supposed to make you throw up. Why… why would anyone want to do that?”

Adrien put the paper down and walked over to some spare headshots. They had been scribbled over.

“Maybe a prankster got into the trailer?” he asked as he picked one up. “I mean, there doesn’t seem to be anything more than mischievous.”

“Hey, this is the wrong script.” Alya picked up the abandoned papers. “This is for some Sci-Fi thing. And this… this newspaper is from a few days ago.”

“No one has been in here that long?” Marinette asked. She opened up the salt container and sneezed as bits of pepper came out.

“Doesn’t seem like it.” Alya turned on her phone and searched something. “Some paparazzi blogs have spotted him at the Seine as of… five minutes ago.”

“Maybe he was fired?” Marinette asked. “That could be why the trailer is a bit… scattered.”

Alya made a face and left the trailer. Marinette and Adrien followed.

The second trailer was for the female lead. Scanning the pages of the script, Marinette wasn’t sure if she played the Buffalo or the love interest. But her trailer was tossed over too. The salt and coffee trick wasn’t here—Marinette recognized some tea leaves on the small counter—but it looked like an eyeliner was swapped out for a permanent marker. She also had different pages—Alya thought it was a documentary on bugs but she wasn’t sure—and “Get Out” was scrawled on the mirror in lipstick.

Marinette shuddered.

“This is weird,” Alya said in a tone of fascination. “Do you think an Akuma did this?”

“No, Akumas are more flashy,” Marinette mused. “They make their goals known to everyone. If an Akuma took over the movie set, we should have known in a day.”

“And they have a trick,” Adrien agreed. “This is more…mean-spirited pranks.” He twirled his ring. It wasn’t time for Chat Noir to come out yet, but Alya was right. This wasn’t normal.

“Why don’t we pay the director’s office a little visit...” Alya said with a grin.

Five minutes later, Alya finished picking the lock. Adrien was on the lookout as Marinette took out her design notebook and began to write down the things they knew.

“And...got it,” Alya said as it swung open. She snuck in, with Marinette behind her and Adrien shutting the door behind him.

The office was controlled chaos. M. Durand had clearly been trying to clean up, but he wasn’t that successful. Marinette took in the tossed plants, the wastepaper baskets on the tables, and the shattered mirror in the bathroom. Papers were thrown into piles, and the food was left on the table or in the sink. Marinette could hear a fly buzzing around.

Alya made it over to the still-on laptop and stroked the keys.

“Nino should have said something,” Adrien said as he walked around, avoiding a pile of laundry on the floor. “Did he not notice, or did this happen while we were out?”

“That leads to ‘What caused this,’” Marinette agreed. “Assuming that no one else is on set, who did this? And some of the things in the other trailers were a few days old?”

“Uh, guys?” Alya looked up. “He didn’t tell us everything.”

Marinette and Adrien hurried over. Alya pulled up an email file on the laptop.

“So, in my poking around I found a few things. Here is the excavation discussion.” She pointed to one email chain. “The town was wiped out in a flash flood. A few people escaped because of the Buffalo, but no one saw the Buffalo again.” She pointed to another email in that chain. “Like Durand said, Ladybug and Chat Noir made him go back over old fairy tales. The animal theme of the Buffalo is what made him think it was a good possibility. The Buffalo defended Talon’s Ford from abusive cattle ranchers, made sure people kept their promises to the local tribe, took down thieves, made sure people had food. Etcetera. Nothing Akuma related but a sort of Robin Hood-y vibe. Which is…odd.” Alya made a thinking face. “John Henry and Paul Bunyan were the types of stories being told then. People with great power who fought against machines and died.”

“Well that’s cheerful,” Marinette muttered.

“Marinette, our national anthem is literally about soldiers defending our lands until the ground is soaked in blood,” Alya replied. “This is going to be normal for Americans.”

“So, what happened next?” Adrien asked. “They found the town, and?”

“Well, there is no explanation for the multiple Buffalo yet,” Alya said as she flipped through the email. “But there is talk about it being haunted.”

“Really?” Marinette asked as she looked over the shoulder. “Are we talking ghosts appearing in the middle of the night to curse archaeologists in a thunderstorm or—”

“A lot of disrupted equipment. More than can be expected. And mostly with the movie crew,” Alya said. “The archeologists had some problems, but they were prepared for them. “

“Huh.” Adrien turned around so he could walk over to Alya. “What about back here in Paris?”

“Uhh…” Alya flipped through the files. “Here.” She stopped and highlighted something. “This production has been…really troubled. Missing pages, broken wires, at least two drafts just vanishing…but nothing related to the town has been damaged. The gloves, a few cups, anything from the town is perfectly secure.” She frowned. “There’s also a list of people who worked on the movie, but I don’t know if they will want to confirm anything.”

She started to scroll through the names, and Adrien let out a small shout.

“I know her!” he said, pointing to a name in the makeup artist section. “She does my makeup when I do animal photo shoots.” He pulled out his phone and began to type in a number. “Let me call her and see what she says.”

“How…how do you have her number?” Marinette asked, her cheeks growing flushed.

“It was her birthday a few weeks ago; I took her out for ice cream. Plus, it’s good to keep in touch in case she wants to try anything.” He gave a shrug as the phone rang.

“Hello?” a woman’s voice said on one end.

“Hi, Stella. It’s Adrien. I have a question…”

While Adrien walked towards the back of the office, Marinette sat next to Alya and looked over the other files on the computer.

“Missing appointments, people quitting, broken equipment...” Alya muttered. “Maybe this project really is cursed.”

Suddenly a trash can fell off the table, and Marinette jumped. Alya looked nervous too, and she bit her lip as she looked around the room. The door then opened with a creak.

“What—What are you doing here?” M. Durand said. The three looked over and saw him silhouetted in the door, the rest of the class behind him. He held a megaphone in one hand and his cellphone in the other.

“Oooh, Marinette’s a snoop,” Chloé said triumphantly. “What, did we bore you?”

“What is going on here?” Adrien asked. “I got off the phone with one of the makeup artists and she said it was haunted!”

“What does she know?” Durand sniffed. “I am the director and—”

A rock shattered a window. Half of the class screamed, Chloé’s shriek loudest of all. Juleka was the only one to get closer.

“Mr. Ghost! Please! What is going on?” Rose pleaded, worriedly looking around the room. “I want to help you.”

“IT! IS! NOT! HAUNTED!” Durand screamed. “I’ve just run into some…employment issues!”

“You have emails from the archaeologists talking about having trouble digging things up. Maybe you have an Akuma somewhere,” Alya offered. She stood up. “I don’t want to cause trouble for Nino but—”

“There is no trouble!” the director shouted. Marinette instinctively took a step back from the man and noticed a few of her classmates did the same. “There is no universe trying to keep me from making my masterpiece. I will bend the movie to my will and if any of you dare try to ruin this—”

A black butterfly landed on the megaphone he held in his hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, that is France's national anthem. And, yes, American Folklore of the Old West does tend to spring up about fears of man vs machines. Seriously. Look it up.


	5. Chapter 5

As Marinette watched, a butterfly-shaped streak of light appeared on the director’s face. He grinned, a wild look in his eyes. “It will be a show no one will ever forget!” he cried, and he laughed as dark energy coursed over him. The bubbling magic fell away to reveal his altered appearance. His skin had turned a sickly green., His clothes were jet black, and he wore a beret. The megaphone in his hand had grown in size and was now covered in black and white stripes.

Marinette joined the class in their rush for the door. She was so close. She only had to make it outside and transform, and then— 

“This is a CLOSED SET!” The Director shouted into his megaphone. Instantly, a thick, pink goo seeped up from the ground and began encasing the town. Chloé was the first one to skid into the new wall, and she bounced off.

Right. The transformation was going to be a bit harder this time. And the Akuma. Reality warpers were the worst. As Marinette searched for an escape, the goo rose above the set and formed a solid dome over the area. Looked like Ladybug wasn’t going to be making an entrance that way.

“Like I said, this is going to be my masterpiece,” The Director said, then stumbled as a rock hit him from behind. The Director stopped for a second, surprised, and he turned, only to see a paint bucket tip over onto one of the nearby paintings.

“Oh, forget it,” The Director hissed. He raised his megaphone. “You are all my cast and crew now. Line up!”

Marinette felt her body move towards the director. But…transform…

She glanced at Tikki, who still hid in her purse. Tikki shook her head. No, now was not the time.

Marinette ended up standing next to Adrien in the long line of their classmates. This would be a lot more enjoyable under any other circumstances.

The Director paced in front of the group; he stopped in front of Marinette and Adrien first. Marinette instinctively tried to take a step back but found she couldn’t move. By the look of it, nobody else could either.

“Buffalo, Love Interest,” the Director said into his megaphone. Marinette winced at the volume, and suddenly her legs were taking her to the costumes that had been moved outside the barn at some point. Adrien walked with her. He stopped at the outfits for the Buffalo; Marinette walked on towards the dresses. Marinette registered other people getting directions as well. Chloé was makeup. Alix was stunt planning. Kim was the Buffalo’s stunt double. Down it went until only Juleka and Rose were left.

“You, camera.” The Director pointed to Juleka. She winced.

“That…may not work,” she managed to get out. The Director rolled his eyes.

“Why?” he asked. Juleka held up her left hand and took the glove off, revealing some sort of hinges underneath.

“Prosthetic,” Juleka explained. “I’ll need time to adjust but I can do it.” She looked again at her hand. “I think.”

“Fine.” The Director frowned at Rose. “You—”

At this point, a rock the size of some of the barrels, that had been put to the side as debris from the set, moved of its own accord and barrelled down towards the director. Marinette watched, stuck by the costumes, as it rolled down the street and struck The Director. As he stumbled backward, he fell into the side of one of the sets and a paint can fell a bit farther out than it should have. It hit The Director on the head and covered his face in paint. 

As Marinette watched—frozen in place—Juleka pushed Rose away.

“Run!” Juleka shouted. Rose picked herself up and sprinted away towards the barn. Marinette watched as Rose fell to the ground in her hurry to get away. Rose glanced back at Juleka. Juleka nodded, and Rose got up and ran as fast as she could to the barn. The Director managed to pull off the can and wipe his eyes. He looked around, but Rose had disappeared. He focused back on Juleka.

“Fine. I should be camera anyway. You will be my assistant,” he said as he strode off toward where everyone stood. “To your jobs!” he shouted through the megaphone. 

Alya joined Marinette by the dresses and mechanically began pulling out various ones and putting them in front of Marinette to check to see if they looked good on her. Chloé robotically took off Marinette’s purse and put it aside before she began to put foundation on Marinette’s face. 

“We will get through this; Ladybug will save us,” Alya whispered as she found a brown dress with a light pink bow in the back. 

Marinette glanced at her purse where Tikki still hid. 

How would they get out of this?


	6. Chapter 6

After entering the barn, Rose ducked inside one of the stalls. There was a mirror on the wall across from the stall’s opening, and she kept on sneaking peeks into it, to see if she could make it further out yet.

No, The Director was still outside. He didn’t seem to know where she was; that was good. If she could get her hands on a cell phone she could call the police and maybe Ladybug and Chat Noir could make their way here to save them. The heroes of Paris could be quick if they put their minds to saving the class. Again.

Rose looked back into the mirror and decided to feel around on a nearby table. Maybe Alix left her cell phone there or something. It would be easier to call for help.

As she felt around, she put her hands on the furred gloves from the town that M. Durand had shown off before. Rose looked away from the mirror. They felt…new? Newer at least. Rose pulled them down towards her and began to look at them carefully. There were markings on there. She began to feel each finger when—

“Oh good, you made it. I hoped that was the case.” Rose looked up in surprise and saw some sort of bug-looking thing floating in front of her. He was only a few inches tall and was covered with brown fur. He had bright brown eyes that would have blended into his fur but for a white mask-like pattern around them. His hands were stubby, a bit like hooves, and had horn-like antenna coming out of his forehead. “What’s your name?”

“R…Rose?” Rose said as she looked at him. “Who…who are you?”

“Right. I’m Venni. I’m the buffalo Kwami.” Rose didn’t move. She just stood there, eyes wide. “I give people powers to be the hero “The Buffalo”. “

“Like…Ladybug and Chat Noir? I don’t know if they are human, but they showed up and have animal names and are superheroes.”

Rose watched as Venni’s face grew stern.

“The Cat and the Ladybug are here?” he asked, his tone just shy of angry. Maybe disappointed? Frustrated? “They are here. And they don’t—” He paused and turned to look at Rose. “Right, you are confused.”

Rose nodded meekly.

“Then I shall save my anger towards them for later. What happened to the Barber’s Clerk?”

“Huh? The Director?” Rose asked. “The guy who tried to make the film?”

“Yes, him. He’s so uppity...” Venni grimaced. “Why is he green?”

“Oh, he got akumatized. It happens a lot, unfortunately. Even to me. I turned into Princess Fragrance, but I don’t remember much else...” This time Rose trailed off as Venni looked at her confused. “He was turned into a supervillain by Hawkmoth.”

“Nooroo,” Venni said softly. “Oh, Nooroo. So the Barber’s Clerk is a villain now, and this is when the Cat and the Bug come in?”

“Yes, they should be here by now.” Rose agreed. “Venni, why don’t you know this? It’s been happening for months now. I thought everyone in Paris knew about it.”

“I’m not FROM Paris. Cool your heels, I’ll start talking.” Venni sighed. “We have time.”

He sat down in front of her, and neither could be seen from the windows.

“Back when, I was from Talon’s Ford. Well, originally I was from elsewhere but let’s start here in Talon’s Ford. Like all Kwami, I sought out someone to bond with so we could protect people. I had partner’s for a coon’s age.” Venni sighed. 

“What were your partners like?” Rose asked. 

‘It varied, depending on who it was.” Venni replied. “Some were gruff, others kind. Some were teachers others just wanted to farm in quiet. We would defend the town, and when I needed to move on, I did. Towns were always changing, and people died or moved away.” He sighed. “And then that’s when Maldore the Big Augor came to town.” A look of pure venom came onto his face. 

“Maldore?” 

“He’s dead now. He was a businessman. And the Buffalo would always try to stop him. He used to try to run the people out of town. Lethally. Sure, some Buffalos die. They are human after all. Old age, bad accidents, snake bites, sickly water. Death happens to an untransformed Buffalo. But it wasn’t frequent and it was expected. But Maldore.” He shook his head. “He brought in people and hunted down each Buffalo. I, we, did what we could. But Maldore… Maldore figured out who the Buffalo was and would track them down untransformed.”

“Untransformed?” Rose blinked. “So, Ladybug and Chat Noir are humans who turn into heroes?”

“Yes.” Venni nodded. “And I worked hard, but the town is small and people… people can’t really be replaced.” He slumped, his little horns made of ribbons waving softly in sadness. “I had trouble finding people to be the new Buffalo.” He said softly. “There is a difference in dying to protect the town and being murdered over some nearby grass that one person wants.”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Venni,” Rose said softly. She leaned down and gently reached over. “May I?”

Venni looked up in confusion, then closed his eyes gently as Rose softly pet him. “Why are you here?” he finally asked.

“I’m looking for a cellphone,” Rose said. She could hear a small commotion outside as The Director set up a new scene. “I need to call the police.”

“The police can’t help,” Venni said as he looked up. “No, unfortunately, stuff like this can’t be solved without the Cat and the Bug. A lot can’t.”

“What do you mean?” Rose asked, still petting him.

“The Cat and the Bug, they are the most powerful of all of us kwamis, and their users have powers unknown to most humans,” Venni said. “This thing with that guy and this stuff?”

“You mean the Director got Akumatized.” Rose offered. Venni shrugged.

“Yes. That is something I can’t handle… on my own.” He looked down. “We can not do much on our own.” 

“Mr. Venni, what happened to the last Buffalo?” Rose asked. “I heard the town was destroyed and-”

“His real name was Qaletaqa and he was Hopi,” Venni said softly. “ He went by Cole when dealing with the people of Talon’s Ford. He knew about the previous Buffalo, everyone did. And when he accepted, his time as the Buffalo was shorter than we hoped.” Venni paused. “There… there was a flash flood. The lands were too chewed up by cattle.There was too much traffic from a train, and then the rain… it was too much. Qaletaqa spent the last hours of his life pulling people to safety as well as he could, but… it was too much.” Venni whispered. He rubbed his eyes with his little hoof-like paws his voice trembling. “Too much water, too much debris, drawing too much on his powers when I had run out...”

Venni took a deep breath now. Rose stayed quiet, simply petting him until he flew up to the table.

“Run out?” Rose asked. “Your powers are limited?”

“All Kwami are limited. They have some power to use endlessly, but one power that exhausts them. Mine is just giving super strength and disruption. Any of us animal themed heroes are powered by Kwami. The Fox, the Bee, The Moth...” Venni paced on the table. “The Cat and the Bug…” He paused, then flew down in front of Rose. 

“If the Cat and The Ladybug had been there, it could have been avoided. Maldore could have been driven out. Three people can save a town from a flash flood better than one person. Especially if one of those people have the ability of creation. Determination can do a lot, but only so much.”

“Did… was it an accident?” Rose asked quietly. Her legs were drawn up to her chest as she stared at the dirt floor. “Drowning is supposed to be quiet.” Venni stopped and flew to her face.

“First, don’t you EVER say that. And second, he didn’t drown and it wasn’t murder. It was exhaustion.”

“Exhaustion?” Rose looked at Venni, tears starting to come to her eyes. “How… can Ladybug and Chat Noir-”

“Like I said, my abilities have finite powers.” Venni shook his head. “Which means that when you use all of it, you have to stop or there will be problems. Flash floods are quick, and we couldn’t stop no matter what.” Venni looked at his own limbs. “Maldore’s bulls had eaten enough of the grass the river couldn’t keep in its banks. When the flood hit he got all those he could out, but still wasn’t enough, and he just lay there on the roof. He took the gloves off so I couldn’t be there when...” Venni shook. “But I could watch. He just couldn’t see me.”

Rose glanced down at the gloves and slid them on.“I’m sorry about Qaletaqa, Mr. Venni. But, I would be honored to be the next Buffalo, if you will have me. What do I need to do?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the record, Qaletaqa was the second name I chose and I did research before I made him Hopi. And after I chose the name, I found out that this was the name of a character on The Walking Dead. Or Fear the Walking Dead. One of the two. POINT IS, this name is not a shout out.


	7. Chapter 7

Marinette thought she heard someone shout, “Venni, Let’s MOOOVE!”

But that couldn’t be right. 

On the other hand, this scene, the whole, “standing in front of Adrien in the rain as we confess our love to each other” - that wasn’t going well either. 

You can’t force confessions. Marinette had figured that out long ago. If both parties weren’t into it, then the whole confession came off as stilted.

Being forced to confess while an Akuma directs your every move? And in a dress with a hoop skirt? That kinda killed the mood.

Adrien was dressed in an old style suit, all in black. It looked great on him, in that casual way in which models always just looked great. The only difference was she wore a cowboy hat instead of a top hat of some kind.

“Please.” Marinette felt herself plead. “Please, Cole. I can’t let you stay and let yourself be hurt when I… I love you so. Run away with me and -”

A whip cracked through the air. It cut through the Director’s sphere of control and Marinette felt herself breathe on her own. She attempted to look around and figure out where the sound came from.

“What was that?” Adrien asked. She turned to look at him and saw his hands were at his throat, rubbing it. “I can talk?”

 

“CUT!” The Director shouted. “Who dares interrupt a closed set! This movie WILL be made!” 

“NO, IT WON’T!” a female voice declare. Marinette and the entire class turned and saw… wow. 

The mysterious girl wore a dress in the same style as Marinette's, except it was bright pink with small lines of brown. She also wore a bright pink cowboy hat with horns, long white gloves over her hands, and she carried a whip on her hip. She stood on top of the sheriff's building and looked like she had stepped out of an old Western Serial. If only the sun was out and not filtering through the ooze that surrounded the set, keeping them all captured in here. 

Whoever it was jumped to the ground. She was shorter than Marinette, but her eyes were hidden. Marinette glanced at the gloves, the only thing not bright pink, and saw they had five furred lines on them. 

“Who the blazes are you?” The Director demanded. 

The girl stayed quiet for a second.“I haven’t figured my name out yet,” she shouted back. “But I will NOT let this movie continue! I’m going to stop you.”  
****  
_“We are the support for the support,” Venni said as Rose put the gloves on. “We get five uses of the power of strength, endurance, and disruption before you transform back a minute later. It is not enough to win. It’s not enough to even try to win. We can not beat this without the Bug and The Cat, but we can help your classmates escape and buy them time.” Venni flew up and landed on her shoulder. “Once you shout, ‘Venni, let’s Mooove!’ I’ll disappear as I’m powering your abilities. I’ll come back afterward.”_

__

__

“OK,” Rose said as she looked down at them. “Thank you.”

Venni floated in front of Rose. “Ready?”

 _Rose nodded, determination evident in her clenched fists._  
****  
It was a new Miraculous user, it had to be. But… it didn’t feel the same as Lila - false and manipulative and busy with other issues. No, something else was going on here. 

She pulled out the whip again. 

“I SAID GET OFF OF THE SET!” The Director shouted into his megaphone. The person braced themselves by crossing her arms in front of her, then as if she fought against the desert wind itself, she pushed through an invisible force. Marinette noted one line of fur had disappeared. She would have to ask Tikki about this later. 

The pink cowgirl used the whip to grab The Director’s megaphone, yanking it toward her. As soon as it landed in her hands, another strip vanished- but the ooze around the set disappeared. 

“HURRY! RUN AWAY UNTIL LADYBUG AND CHAT NOIR GET HERE!” The new hero shouted. 

“But-” Marinette started to walk towards her until Alya ran from the makeup table and grabbed her arm.

“Come on girl, we need to go.”

“My bag!” Marinette shouted as she reached for her side. _Tikki!_ She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Alya had snagged it for her.

“I got it.” Alya handed it over as they hurried past the mock-up of the general store. “Let’s go!”

“Hurry!” the mysterious savior shouted. “I think I can only keep his powers at bay as long as I hold the megaphone!” Marinette glanced back and saw the cowgirl was running around The Director, trying desperately to keep the megaphone from his grasp. 

Marinette glanced down at Tikki in her bag, then tripped over a rock. As she struggled to rise, the ooze from before sprung back up between her and Alya. Marinette glanced back, the cowgirl had tripped over something, and the megaphone spilled from her hands. As she watched, the Director picked it back up. 

“Go! I’ll make it out again!” She shouted to Alya. “I’ll hide until Ladybug shows up! Now go.” 

Alya tried to reach through to her, but it was too late. The ooze sealed Marinette in. With a sigh, Marinette ran behind the general store and opened up her bag.

“Who is that?” she whispered to Tikki. 

“I… I think I know. ” Tikki frowned slightly. “It’s going to be fine now, but it may get complicated later on. I’ll tell you later. Right now we have to stop The Director!” 

Marinette nodded.

“TIKKI! SPOTS ON!” 

The dress disappeared as she turned into Ladybug. When the energy faded, she looked around. The cowgirl hero was busy trying to distract The Director. Her whip kept on cracking around his face.

“YOU BARBER’S CLERK!” she shouted. 

“I… don’t know what that means.” Chat Noir said as he landed next to her. “Is she on our side?”

“I… I think so,” Ladybug said as she watched her. “We should go help.”

“After you, M’lady,” replied Chat Noir. 

Ladybug threw her yo-yo out and grappled down next to the girl. “Who are you?” she asked as Chat landed beside her. The girl froze up for a second.

“My kwami wants to talk to your kwamis later,” she said in a rush. “I haven’t picked my superhero name yet.” 

“Are you… The Buffalo?” Chat Noir asked as he looked her up and down. “The horns kind of give it away.”

“Horns?” She reached up and touched them on her hat. “Oh! Ah, yes. Mostly.” 

“Move!” Ladybug pushed her out of the way of a screen clapper that The Director had thrown at them. “Beat him first, then we talk.”

“What are your powers?” Chat Noir asked. She looked at her gloves. 

“Breaking through obstacles,” she said softly. “I’m support for the support.”

“Well, don’t let that get you down,” Chat Noir said as he pulled her away from a flying script. “People can’t do much without support.” 

“Like me!” Ladybug shouted. Several chairs were ganging up on her.

“YOU WILL NOT DESTROY MY MOVIE!” The Director shouted through his microphone. 

The unknown girl ran and tackled him. Another strip of fur vanished, leaving two. Presumably, she would detransform when they were exhausted. 

 

“I WILL NOT LET YOU DESTROY THEIR MEMORY!” she shouted back. She slammed her hands onto his shoulders and another strip disappeared. “I will continue their story, and you will LEAVE. THEM. ALONE!” 

The Director struggled but found himself unable to sit up. 

“Ladybug!” she shouted. Ladybug nodded.

“LUCKY CHARM!” Ladybug shouted as she threw her yo-yo up into the air. And down came-

“A vuzuvela?” Ladybug looked at it. 

“Are we supposed to annoy him?” Chat Noir asked. Ladybug glanced around and her vision lit up on the girl with the one strip left, the Director, and the megaphone. 

“SOMEONE, GET ME THE MEGAPHONE!” Ladybug shouted. The girl pulled out her whip and spun it out with an earsplitting crack. It wrapped around the handle of the megaphone and she whipped it to Ladybug who turned it on and then tossed the vuzuvela to Chat Noir who played it in front of the megaphone’s speaker. 

The Director winced, covered his ears, and cowed under the amplified sounds from the megaphone. As soon as he was distracted enough, Ladybug smashed the megaphone. As they watched, a butterfly flew out. Ladybug grabbed it in her yo-yo.

“TIME TO DE-EVILIZE!” she shouted. When the whole sequence was done, and the ladybugs had flown through the decaying ruins of the town, the three stood in a semi-rebuilt set of the town. 

“Wait, before you go.’ The girl came forward. “Come to the Saint Germain public market at 6 PM on Saturday.”

“We have to keep our identities a secret.” Ladybug said as she looked at the girl’s earnest face.

“I’m not saying we meet up.” the girl said. “I’m saying our Kwamis do. Pastry shop, back right in the area that’s outside in the fresh air. We can hide or do other shopping or blend in, but mine wants to talk to yours.”

_Beep beep beep._

“Sure.” Ladybug said then threw her yo-yo. “I’ve got to bug out.”

“Same here.” Chat Noir said as he bowed. He ran away, leaving the girl all alone in the middle of the square. She ran toward the barn, disappearing from view.


	8. Chapter 8

“I should probably come up with a name,” Rose said as she paced her room. Venni had some lettuce and was chowing on it as if he hadn’t eaten in fifty years. Probably the truth. “What do you think? I can’t be Buffalo. It sounds a bit silly. And Neither Ladybug or Chat Noir use ‘the’” 

“You are taking this superhero thing like bricks.” Venni chuckled. Rose looked at him, a rare expression of confusion on her face. “Um… quickly?” he offered. “I’m an old pod,” he said with a sigh. “Out of date.”

“That’s ok,” Rose said with a smile. “It’s been quite a while. What do you want to learn about?”

“What do you know?” Venni asked. “I can’t ask you if...” He paused. “If we found who lives on Mars because how would you know-”

“We sent robots to Mars. They are still doing research but there doesn’t look like anything was there.”

Venni dropped his lettuce.

“ROBOTS,” he whispered. “What’s a robot?” 

“Oh, uh…” Rose frowned. “Wait, let me show you.” She flipped open her laptop and Venni dove behind her. 

“It’s a glowing box," he whispered in fear. 

Rose chuckled.   
“It’s a laptop. I can use it to find out all sorts of things, and write papers and stuff.” She typed in “Mars Rover.” 

“That’s…. what is that.” Venni flew down to the keys. “Is this an upgrade on a telegraph?”

“Typewriter actually,” Rose said. “Here are the Mars Rovers.” She pulled up their page on NASA’s website. “France has a space program too, but no rovers on Mars. Instead, we are working on the International Space Station- that means we have astronauts in space right now.”

“You are pulling my leg,” Venni whispered. “Qaletaqa would have loved this.” Venni reached out to touch the screen. “Things have really moved forward…”

“It’s not… we have our own issues.” Rose said as she pulled up the news. As Venni skimmed over the names of countries that hadn’t even existed the last time he had a newspaper, a small rectangle by the computer made a vaguely musical sound and buzzed like a bee. Venni flew behind Rose, who grabbed it and put it to her ear.

“Hi, Juleka!” she said. Venni flew around her and gave an odd expression. “One moment” she mouthed. “Oh, Juleka, I would love to go to Madame Tussaud's, but I’m busy right now. I’m heading to the St Germain public market next week though. You can come then if you want. Great! See you then!” Rose took it away from her ear, pressed a button, and flopped down on her very pink sheets. “Today was tiring.”

“For you. I was doing that hard work after 150 years of being alone,” Venni said as he landed next to her. “Wow, these are soft.”

“Thanks,” Rose said through muffled sheets. “Want to take a nap?”

“I can’t.” Venni sighed. “I need to go back and keep on disrupting the movie.” He moved closer to her head and sat up. Rose reached over and began to stroke his head again. “I can’t let it go forward as it was. It hurt Qaletaqa, it hurt the town, it-”

“Don’t worry,” Rose said. She pulled out her phone and pulled up an article. “M. Durand was arrested.” Venni frowned as he read the headlines. “It turns out, he didn’t have permits to move some of that stuff. The archeological team saw he had been akumatized, checked their records and let the police know. He’s going to be tried for smuggling and a few other things. Add some of the items were taken from the Native American population of Talon’s Ford and he's in serious trouble.” 

“That’s good,” Venni said after a moment. “I have to admit, I wasn’t sure what to do. I’m just a kwami.” He lay down next to Rose so they looked eye to eye. “I could interact with things since my Miraculous was out, but I wasn’t… bonded really with anyone. Not until you touched the gloves. Because of that, no one could see me. Besides, we're supposed to be quiet.” 

“Ladybug and Chat Noir aren’t,” Rose said. “Not in a bad way, we need them.”

“You aren’t supposed to need them, not for things like Akumatizations,” Venni said. “We are old beings. Created when something intangible is discovered. I was born when humanity discovered the power of determination and working together to disrupt something. The Bug is the first, the kwami of creation. Hence our power differences. But we work together to achieve something greater.” He curled up, his tail just touching his nose and his ribbon-like horns resting on her bed. 

“We are supposed to anyway. I’m a buffalo Kwami. The prairie is my home. I went to Talon’s Ford with Fu because I wanted to work on my skills. Fu promised to return but...” He left his circle on the bed to snuggle under Rose’s arm. “No one came back for me. I couldn’t contact everyone. The Big Augur. He was looking to shoot and I was no odds.” He snuggled in deeper. 

“Qaletaqa didn’t like that Cattle Baron Big Augur, but we did what we could. I liked being with him. He didn’t like a lot of what had happened to him or his tribe. He also said that if he was a middleman, maybe he could keep things from getting worse. Or even improve them. If the Big Augur hadn’t tried to take all the good grass and bottomland, I think he would have succeeded. I don’t know if the whole west would have been saved, but it wouldn’t be as bad when the flood came.” 

“I don't know,” Rose said quietly. “Can you tell me more about Qaletaqa?”

“Sure,” Venni said quietly. “He loved the local flowers we had. Wait, can you use that thing to pull up pictures? That would work better than describing them.” 

With a smile, Rose picked up Venni and brought him to the computer. He moved to the top of her hand and looked as she brought up websites of flowers local to Arizona. 

“There we go, that one was his favorite.” He said pointing to a pink one. “It was called…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sidenote, Typewriters only became a thing SLIGHTLY after Talon's Ford was destroyed. But this had gone on long enough.


	9. Chapter 9

Rose and Juleka walked around St Germain’s market the next weekend. It was open air and full of temporary stalls that wafted smells and bright colors towards the crowds gathering around them. The space was busy and Rose and Juleka dodged a few eager kids running to the nearby candy stall. As they wove their way through booksellers and flowers, Rose casually opened her backpack once they got to the pastry shop in the back. 

“Good luck” she whispered, as Venni booped her nose then scurried away, behind the shop. 

“Ready to go?” Juleka asked as Rose came back. Juleka was loitering by some old rose bushes and she held a first edition of some horror book she hadn’t heard of. 

“I want to stay here a bit more,” Rose said. She glanced at her watch, she’d drift back in an hour. There were always things to do at the market. And an hour wasn’t too long; she could make up excuses. “I don’t get to explore around here that often. We should look at those booksellers maybe or-”

“Rose? Juleka?” Both turned and saw Marinette and Alya standing in front of them. They looked like they were wearing their usual clothes. As Rose watched, Marinette snapped her bag shut. Neither had gone shopping yet apparently. They weren’t carrying any bags, and Rose was surprised that Marinette had managed to go so long without buying any flowers. 

“What are you doing here?” Marinette asked. 

“Booksellers,” Rose said sweetly. “I wanted to find some books on the old west after everything last week. Then we could eat some cake and go home.” Which wasn’t a lie. She did want to learn more. There were also the events Venni needed to catch up. 

“Black Forest Cake” Juleka added in, crossing her arms.

“Hey everyone.” They all turned and saw Adrien and Nino walking toward them. Adrien seemed to be tucking his shirt in. “Funny to see you here.” He glanced at Nino, who had his head bowed and his hands stuck in his pockets. “We were just out to explore some of Paris and get our minds off of last week-” 

“It’s all my fault,” Nino grumbled. “If I hadn’t joined that contest-”

“It would have happened anyway,” Alya said, rolling her eyes. “You didn’t make him steal artifacts from that town.”

Rose watched as Marinette shifted a bit uncomfortably. 

“I’m here to distract him,” Adrian said with a lower voice. “Also Father is out of town this weekend. I haven’t gone here yet.” 

Rose watched as Alya elbowed Marinette in the ribs. “Why don’t we show you around!” Marinette practically yelped. “I know a great tea place that a friend of my dad runs, we can start off there.”

“That sounds lovely, Marinette,” Adrien said. “I’m very curious what Rose and Juleka’s opinions on tea are.” 

“Good. You remembered.” Juleka muttered as she slouched. “I know we aren’t part of your -”

“Herbal tea is good for me. With rose petals.” Rose said quickly, in an attempt to cover Juleka’s grumpiness. Juleka glanced at her. Rose smiled back. 

“Black coffee.” Juleka finally said. 

“Well, why don’t we all go over and order so we can talk for a while,” Alya said as she grabbed Nino’s arm. “All of us, Nino.”

***  
“I know I wasn’t responsible for artifacts, but maybe for turning him into an Akuma," Nino muttered into his tea again. 

“These things happen,” Adrien said as he patted Nino on the back.

“Not to you or Marinette,” Nino muttered. “I was the Bubbler. Alya was Lady Wifi. Juleka became Reflekta and Rose became Princess Fragrance.”

“And I am very sorry about that,” Rose said and then took a sip of her own tea. “I don’t know what came over me. Besides Hawkmoth.” 

“Chloe,” Was all Juleka said. 

Rose took another sip of her tea so she didn’t have to say anything else. 

“Besides, we were the ones digging,” Alya said. “We found out that he was lying about all of that stuff. And got him in trouble with the police. After the fact.” Alya took a sip of her own tea, black with a lot of cream. 

“I’m glad you did.” Rose cut in. They all turned to look at her. “I hadn’t realized how much of a real town there was. It seems a little… soon, maybe? To make a movie of Qaletaqa’s life.”

“Who?” Adrien asked. Rose went white. 

“The Buffalo? I thought I read that was his name…” Rose tried to cover up by taking another sip of tea but found her cup empty. “I am… going to get more tea.” 

“Coffee,” Juleka said as she handed Rose her cup. Rose took it and hurried away. She got to the counter and ordered more from the person there. The person gave a smile and went to refill her mug. 

She had to be more careful. She had to keep track of who knew what. She’s the only one who knew about-

“Qaletaqa?” A woman’s voice said. Rose jumped and turned around. Whoever it was had dark skin, darker hair, and an oddly accented French. “Ah, you’re the one.”

“I.. what? No... I. What?” Rose’s voice pitched higher. She had to stop responding to Qaletaqa’s name. That was too obvious. If they knew about… wait.

“I’m Lomahongva. I’m Hopi and Qaletaqa’s great-great grandniece. I think.” She gave a smile. “Is Venni with you?”


	10. Chapter 10

“Venni!” Tikki tackled him behind the store. “Venni, I was worried-”

“Eh, you’re alive,” Plagg said as he floated around the corner. “When Chat Noir started talking about some buffalo that-”

“Shut pan,” Venni growled. Both backed off. “You both know that Nooroo has gone owl hoot and you find yourself in this balderdash instead of looking for him. Or me.”

“Venni-” Tikki started to say.

“We don’t die, you know that.” Venni hovered slightly. “So instead of wondering ‘Oh, where are the other Kwami’ or ‘Gee, Nooroo seems to have unleashed a supervillain maybe we should work on tracking him down.’ You just spend your time trying to get The Bug and the Cat together. Like Allers.” 

“Listen, we were busy.” Plagg tried to explain. “We had several wars, a fair, a-”

“Oh, lah-de-dah. You had a frolic at a fair and you couldn’t spend a DAY trying to find all of us?” Venni flitted around a bit. “We’re not as important as the Cat or the Bug so if we ever call for help or want someone to talk to or deal with someone trying to take over the town for GRASS, why, it’s just grass. Who should care?” 

“Venni-” Tikki reached out. 

“QALETAQA DIED ALONE BECAUSE OF ME AND I HAUNTED THAT DEAD TOWN EVER SINCE THEN!!!” Venni yelled, drifting higher. Tikki and Plagg tackled him away from a light. 

“Talk to Fu,” Plagg finally said. “We can’t help you.” 

“I can tell you where he is,” Tikki offered. Venni floated there, staring at them. 

“What do you want, an apology?” Plagg finally asked. “Because it’s not our fault.” 

“If what you say is true, it’s not,” Venni admitted. “But you two seem adjusted.”

“How empty was your town?” Tikki finally asked. 

“Completely.” Venni sighed and floated back down so he sat on a rock. “Those Above Snakes buried who they could. A few people had had family nearby and removed their bodies. Qaletaqa got a Hopi funeral, I think... Qaletaqa, we got as many out as we could. In the end…. I don’t know. The town had gotten bloody from the Big Augur,” He shook his head. “You should have been there.” 

“Yes,” Tikki said quietly. “We should have. There were fights over Paraguay and Napoleon the Third, but we should have at least looked in on you.”

“Was it before or after those flying metal birds I heard about appeared,” Venni asked. 

“Napoleon was before, the wars were after,” Plagg admitted. “But Fu should have helped you.”

“He just dropped me off in the town and left, claiming he was a wandering Chinese person looking for work” Venni confessed. “I figured things out but-”

“What was your fault, and what wasn’t?” Plagg asked. “You were there for so long, do you really think nothing that happened was your fault?”

“I had NOTHING to do with the grassland around the town. And once someone started HARMING the people there, I couldn’t leave! Qaletaqa had added in that the town should respect the neighboring tribes. He was HOPI. They got off better than others. I wasn’t going to fight him on it.” Venni rubbed his arms. “He died, in front of me. He thought I wouldn’t be able to see him.” 

“I’m sorry,” Tikki said. “This is…”

“It’s not your fault,“ Venni cut in. “Not completely. But here is the question. We got another Big Augur here. And this one's got Nooroo. You know what Nooroo is like. He’s not doing this willingly. He’s higher up than I am. So here is my question.” He looked at both of them. “My last hero DIED because we were already tired from saving a town when a flash flood hit. I’ve been following the news. Are you REALLY going to risk that with your charges? Or are we going to work together and free Nooroo?”


	11. Chapter 11

Rose took a sip of her tea as she faced Lomahongva. Lomahongva did the same. Rose tapped the side of her cup, waiting for her to say something. The people around them in the temporary cafe gave them a cursory glance as they went to their own seats with their drinks and various baked goods. 

“You apparently aren’t going to admit to anything outright. Which is fair.” Lomahongva said. She pulled out a photograph. “That director never visited the Hopi. If he had, he would have seen what Qaletaqa looked like.” 

Despite herself, Rose got up and went over to Lomahongva’s side of the table. The photograph she placed on the table was old and sepia. A man with dark hair stood still in it. He had no horns like what Rose wore when she transformed that first time, instead, he wore a deerskin coat and leggings, with short moccasins. He held in his hand a pair of white gloves with five strips of buffalo fur at the top. Rose glanced at her purse where there was a matching set of gloves. 

“This was him untransformed,” Lomahongva said. “He told his sister - my own ancestor - about Venni and when he didn’t return from the flood my ancestor went back to find him. She did, but couldn’t find the gloves.” 

“M. Durand found them, but I don’t know where. He had them in the barn with the other props and they, er, disappeared after he was arrested.” Rose said as she sat back down. She ran her finger on the rim of her cup. “I didn’t know about everything he had done until later. It wasn’t right. Qaletaqa died defending the town, making a movie with the props seems improper.” 

“If you were the Buffalo,” Lomahongva said as she put the picture away. “What would you do?”

Rose frowned, then took a sip. 

“I would help Ladybug and Chat Noir, of course.” She started off saying, slowly. “But I would try to continue what Qaletaqa did. I can’t do everything, but he seemed like someone who valued playing fair and people’s lives. I can’t stop wars, I can’t stop the hate, but I can make sure people live.” She took another sip. 

“I was akumatized, a while ago,” Rose admitted. “I don’t remember it. I heard about it later. Ladybug and Chat Noir focused on stopping me. That is their job. While they saved people, they focus on stopping the Akuma. Lucky Charm can fix it later. But… that can’t fix everything.” She took another sip.

“The Buffalo is strength, determination, and disruption. And it sounds negative, but disruption keeps life moving, lets people free.” A cafe worker walked by their table. Both waited until she left. “So, strength, determination, and disruption mean I could disrupt the Akumas and get people to safety. The Director isn’t the first Akuma to trap people, and he wouldn’t be the last.” 

She drained her cup.

“But that’s not living up to Qaletaqa’s legacy.” She said softly. “Stopping the Akumas come first, they cause so much destruction. I don’t know if Hawkmoth is worse than Maldore. Both of them should not have gone down the path they did. It causes so much pain.”

“But Qaletaqa’s legacy is the work he did to change what was around him. To keep a town peaceful and respectful and kind. That’s what I would need to do.” 

Lomahongva gave a smile and reached into her bag again. 

“This is a legal document stating the Hopi tribe is giving you the gloves and you can not be prosecuted for possessing them.” She said as she handed Rose the paperwork. “Also I can see the gloves in your purse. I think Venni chose right though.” 

“Oh, thank you!” Rose said as she lifted the paper up. She smiled, put the paper in her purse, and reached out to grasp Lomahongva’s hand. 

“Rose!” Marinette shouted. Both women turned to look at the group. All of Rose’s friends had come. “You didn’t show back up and we got worried.”

“I’m fine, I’m just talking with an old friend.” Rose half lied. Something brown caught her eye and she saw Venni sneak into her purse. “I’m sorry, Juleka. Here you go.” She handed Juleka her coffee. “Should we continue to the bookstores?”

“Yes.” Juleka agreed. “Maybe your new friend can come?”

“Oh, yes. Please, Lomahongva?” Rose asked, a smile bright and back on her face. She significantly lifted her purse up before she put it on her shoulder. “I think we could have a wonderful conversation.” 

“I… I would like that a lot,” Lomahongva said. “I am Lomahongva, and you are?” 

Rose glanced at Venni, who looked out at the group. His eyes were fixed on Lomahongva. Everyone introduced themselves to her, and they walked off to the other shops.


	12. Chapter 12

“Listen, Rose,” Venni said as he chewed on a carrot. “As I stated before, I am support for the support. That means that not only are my powers much lower, people also don’t care. Except in small places like Talon’s Ford. But Paris is bigger than that.” He glanced at the carrot and put it aside. He then grabbed a handful of brown sugar that Rose had set out along with other foods. He needed to eat… something. He was still figuring out what. Maybe a sandwich? 

“So...?” Rose sat down next to him, the bed fluffing a bit as she did so. She then lay back on the pink cover and stared at the ceiling. “I’m not sure what to do with all of this.”

“Yeah, I don’t either.” Venni agreed. “I’m essentially in a new country, more than a century later…”

“At least we got Lomahongva’s blessing,” Rose said as she looked at her gloves. “I don’t want to be arrested for smuggling artifacts.” 

“My point is, you can tell one person,” Venni said as he grabbed a stalk of broccoli. He made a face as he took a bite. “Eh, not sure. Maybe I should try garlic?”

“Please no, that would be hard to explain,” Rose said quietly. “But I can try to get you some. What about apples or clementines?” She paused. “I can tell one person?” she stood up and turned to look at Venni. “I can?”

“Yes. The Bug and the Cat can’t.” Venni gave a venomous smile. “They are too powerful.”

Rose instantly picked up her phone. “Juleka, I need you to come over now”

“Juleka? Not your mom?” Venni asked. “Friends can leave, a family can’t.” 

“If I’m in school, I need another student to cover me.” She gave a smile. “So, we are going to tell Juleka.” 

“That reasoning is as fine as cream’s gravy,” Venni said, then tried the clementine. “Oooh. This is sweet.” 

“Sweetie, Juleka is here!” Rose’s mom called from downstairs. 

 

“Send her up!” Rose called. Venni flew up and hid in her hair. “Oh come on, Venni. You are being stupid.” 

“What if I don’t want people to find me.” 

“Venni, do you trust me?” Rose asked. At that point, the door opened. Juleka came in and frowned at the brown spot in her Rose’s blond hair. 

“Rose?”

“So… I’m the one who helped the class escape from The Director. I want you to meet my Kwami, Venni.” 

Venni came up and waved slightly from her head. “Hi.” 

“Rose-” Juleka looked over. “What is that?” She blinked, then leaned in a bit. “I think you would call it cute.”

"Venni is a boy, and. well... Venni, Let’s Mooove!” 

Juleka gave a rare, small, smile as her best friend transformed in front of her.


	13. Chapter 13

A few nights later, Ladybug landed on a rooftop. Someone else landed behind her, but it didn't sound like Chat Noir’s footsteps. She turned and saw the blond cowgirl hero. She wore shorter cowboy boots this time, and a shorter skirt. The dress was brown with pink stripes this time, and she still wore the long gloves with the furry stripes. She had a pink Zorro-style mask, wrapped around her head to give her ribbon-like horns. 

“Oh, good, you found us.” Chat Noir landed on the roof too. He pulled out his staff and extended it so he could lean on it. “So, are you here for Hawkmoth, friends, glory?”

“I…” she hesitated, stating her case before Paris’s two most famous superheroes was a bit daunting, Venni’s gripe with their Kwamis aside. She took a breath to gather her courage. “I want to help,” she said. She pulled on the edges of her gloves. “After… after everything my kwami told me, I want to be able to help them. And so many others. The akumas are causing problems for a lot of people and I need to stop it. At its source, if I can.” She gave a very sweet smile. 

“Well, if you're going to help us with this, we need a name to call you.” Ladybug gave a small smile. “The last time someone was added to our group, it didn’t go well. But I have a better feeling about you. If you can give a name though.”

“Is it Buffalo?” Chat Noir asked from his position, sitting on a ledge in the moonlight. 

“I don’t want to use Buffalo, I can’t live up to what the last one did from his good works and heart. Call me Prairie Rose.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading this! I hope you had as much reading this as I did writing it. I think I may continue it. After all, Venni needs to find Nooroo, and Rose and Juleka dealing with a Grumpy Kwami with outdated slang is a fun concept to continue...
> 
> And if you were wondering what Prarie Rose looks like (Who is, 100% named after a pink flower that is from Arizona)...
> 
> http://dontcallmebugaboo.tumblr.com/tagged/mbb2k17  
> ^ Check out this link! 
> 
> Thank you again for reading this. I hope you enjoyed it!


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